Question

1.

The following are quotes from an article that appeared in the December 28, 2001 issue of The Toronto Star.

Insulin levels are linked to cancer Prithi Yelaja, Medical Reporter

Breast cancer patients with high insulin levels from being overweight may have double the risk of the cancer recurring and triple the risk of death, says a study by Toronto doctors. Blood insulin levels appear to be a reliable predictor of whether a woman with breast cancer will survive over the long term, the study suggests. If the study’s findings prove correct, it may mean that low-tech ways of lowering blood insulin levels will become vital weapons in the arsenal used to battle breast cancer. “We found that overweight women had higher insulin levels and that was associated with a doubled risk of breast cancer recurrence and a tripled risk of death, even after considering stage of (tumour) and treatment.” The 10-year study was conducted on 512 women aged 30 to 70 from 1990 to 2000.

Based on the information presented in this abstract, answer the following questions:

(a) What was the response variable on which the researchers reported?

(b) The abstract includes a discussion of the relationship between the response variable and several possible factors. What factors does this abstract mention?

(c) Based on the information contained in the abstract, does it appear that replication and randomization were used in the design and conduct of this study? Explain.

Answer 1

Answer to the question)

Part a)

Response variable is : presence of cancer, specifically breast cancer recurrence

The researchers speak of how overweight people with high level of insulin have higher risk of breast cancer

.

Part b)

The several possible factors are as follows:

Insluin levels

Weight of the subjects

.

Part c)

Randomization cannot be used in studies related to specific diseases.

Replication can be included in form of considered several breast cancer patients with similar conditions of insulin levels and weight levels to compare the chances of cancer recuurence